Phantom in the mist
by Van1llasalt
Summary: The battle at the valley of the end ended with Sasuke returning to the village. This change had many far reaching consequences. Years after Naruto is thought to have been KIA, the Mizukage is traveling to Konoha to negotiate an alliance. With her is Izumi, a suspiciously familiar blonde... first 4 chapters have been revised. updates weekly.
1. Chapter 1

The Mizukage and her entourage traveled quickly, tree-hopping through a forest near the border of Konohagakure. She was a beautiful woman, no older than early 30s with a full figure, and chestnut hair flowing nearly to her feet with bangs swept over one side of her face covering an eye. What one would immediately notice about her sea green eyes, however was how tired and world weary they appeared. Mei Terumi was a woman who had spent years fighting a bloody civil war against the previous Mizukage, Yagura, and her eyes reflected it. Mei's side had won, but after years of in-fighting her village had been reduced to a shell of its former self. So the way Mei saw it she had two options: wait for word of her home's weakened state to spread, and for the vultures to come... Or form an alliance with another hidden village. Her choice was obvious.

Shinobi culture was one of paranoia and fear, however. As a result alliances between villages were rare and often fleeting.

Out of the four hidden villages, she and her advisors immediately dismissed Kumo as an option, given how militaristic and hot headed the Raikage was, going to him in a time of need would probably make the man more likely to invade than anything. Kumo also had a bad reputation for kidnapping shinobi, ally or foe with kekkei genkai, or strong chakra to experiment on them, reputation that was not undeserved. Iwa was similarly dismissed partially due to its shady dealings with Akatsuki, but mostly due to the deep seated resentment between Suna and Iwa, which could put Kiri at odds against both Suna and Konoha. So when deciding upon a possible alliance she thought the choice of village to be simple, Konoha.

Konoha had recently been betrayed in a plot by one of their own, in league with Sunagakure, which had taken a toll on the village. After the death of the Sandaime Hokage, Suna realigned with Konoha, but both villages were weakened. They had also lost their Jinchuriki shortly after, and with it the power of the Kyuubi... Much like her own village had now lost theirs, following the death of Yagura, the Sanbi's host.

The Kyuubi's jailor was reported to have been KIA by the Akatsuki, in an attempt to capture the boy nearly four years ago. Leaving under the cover of night while his guardian slept, he had foolishly tried to battle two S-class criminals head on, and alone. He paid the price of his arrogance before the legendary Toad Sage could catch up to the boy. Though his body was never found, enough blood to have been fatal without quick treatment, along with the tattered remains of Naruto's jacket was. Jiraiya, who had taken him out of the saftey of the village on a mission to train the young man, heart heavy with guilt, had refused to believe he was dead. After all he was an Uzumaki, a clan famed for their resilience and tenacity. Not only that but his healing ability was further boosted by the demon fox. However, even if he did survive the encounter, it was only a brieff reprieve. It was more than likely that Naruto would've been taken by Akatsuki for extraction of the Kyuubi.

And so, with no leads on his or the Akatsuki's whereabouts, and knowing the fate of a Jinchuriki who has a tailed beast torn from their belly, the Godaime was forced to accept the unpleasant reality.

Naruto was dead.

... Well, not really.

Jiraiya was right, and the Kyuubi's jailor was right next to her as they leapt through the a forrest at the perimeter of the land of fire. A spacey girn on his face, as the nostalgia of being back home washed over him, she assumed. She was glad to have him, he was a very talented shinobi in his own right, and his unique condition made him a valuable asset for negotiations with konoha. The reason she had taken him with her on this trip.

"Are you nervous about returning, Izumi-kun?" A soft voice rang out from her right.

Were it not for the feminine tone of the voice, one could be forgiven for thinking that the lithe, androgynous figure it came from was a boy. With her short black hair, and her near perpetually squinted brown eyes the small girl was by any stretch of the imagination very average, but her soft smile as she spoke to her blonde teammate was infectious, and made her appear to glow.

Even if the blonde thought it looked slightly strained.

"Nah Kana-chan, Im actually kinda excited... I wonder if anyone will remember me..." The boy trailed off sheepishly, prompting a chuckle from the girl "I think that it would be very difficult for anyone to forget someone as kind as you are, Izumi-kun" Izumi's face blossomed into a radiant grin, which caused the girls cheeks to flush slightly.

Kana glanced to her right at Izumi, and felt her stomach knot. Despite her calm, warm outward appearance, inside there was turmoil. Her mind raced, full of incoherent, anxious thoughts. What if he stays at Konoha? It is technically his home, after all. The leaf will want it's Jinchuriki back. It was common practice for villages to sometimes ransom prisoners, what if, once his identity was known the leaf demanded for him to return?

She sighed.

"He is not a prisoner.", she snapped at herself mentally. Still with the way some villages treated Jinchuriki... What if he had no choice?

*What if he did have a choice?*

She shifted to run closer to the young man. "Hey, Izumi-kun...", she breathed barely above a whisper. She inhaled to continue speaking, only to stop once she caught sight of Ao, the jonin responsible for guarding Mei, shoot her a pointed glance. " Not the time for idle chatter kids, lets save it for after the mission" though his tone was gruff he didn't appear angry, if the smile and glint in his un-covered eye were any indication. The two younger shinobi shared a small smile, and nodded in the man's direction. Ao was right. Now was not this time. She cursed her self mentally for letting herself be so distracted on a mission.

Later, she promised herself, later.

The group fell into a comfortable silence as they neared closer to Konoha, a place the young man hadn't been in years. Although he had once called the place home, he now found his thoughts on Kiri, and chuckled at the irony. When he had first ended up in Kiri, he was single minded in his desire to return to Konoha.

Now however...

He loved the people he'd left behind in Konoha, and missed them dearly, he did, but... now that he was so nearly back, he found himself missing Kiri. He had fought for Kiri. Fought, sweat, bled, killed and warred. And he had lived.

Many were not quite so fortunate.

*Like all of my team, other than Kana-chan.*

He sighed, determined to break through his gloom. The losses should only serve to temper his resolve to see Kiri restored to the former glory he was so often told about.

His thoughts looped back the The mission at hand. He hoped negotiations went well. Kiri was pretty screwed if they didn't. They had fertile land for crops, and other natural resources but few people to harvest them. Worse, the number of active shinobi had dwindled to a fraction of the number it had even during it's "Bloody Mist" days.

*Bloody Mist, huh?*

He thought of the person responsible for the macabre namesake, Yagura,

Yagura, and his sadistic academy graduation exam. What kind of unity could be achieved in the Kiri military if to enter it you had to kill other Kiri citizens?

It was only natural that the people of Kiri would rebel against the psychopath that mandated such a practice.

What wasn't natural, what he couldn't understand was the the people who remained loyal. Cowards, morons, or sadists. Maybe a mix of the three. When his tanto cut Yagura down the remainder of his oh so loyal forces fled like the roaches they were, not that there many left, and not that the majority made it very far.

He made sure of that.

He could feel his mood darkening, as he felt an all too familiar feeling course and tingle through his coils. He knew dwelling on that particular subject wasn't a good idea.

So, with some effort, he willed his thoughts to Konoha. Until very recently they had not had the resources to devote to intel missions about an as of yet non-hostile force. He wasn't able to even access his own contact, given the hectic state of the contry during Mei's rebellion. It was only after the war, when Mei had begun to look for prospective allies that he had really heard anything of substance about his former home. From what they could tell Konoha hadn't been involved in any really large scale confrontations. With that, and the fact that the Akatsuki had been largely exterminated, he dared to hope that his former team was intact.

He hoped he got to see Sakura soon. he was willing bet she was a first class medical nin now. He hoped to see Granny Tsunade and Jiraiya and apologize for worrying them. He hoped Kakkashi was doing okay, after the battle with Sasuke, at the valley of the end, he had blamed himself for the things that happened when he and Naruto brought Sasuke back home.

His thoughts turned to Sasuke, his first friend. He was a gifted shinobi, but was nearly driven insane by his own need to avenge his family. His family killed by his own older brother. Sasuke was right, the bonds Sasuke once had caused him more pain than Naruto could imagine... He hoped Sasuke was alive. He hoped Sasuke was still Sasuke, and not some weird androgynous snake fetishist's new meat puppet.

As he wished for Sasuke's well being, his thoughts turned to how he had ended up there in Kiri casting aside his own name, and former home. Fighting a war with strangers in a strange place.

Over time that strange place became home, and the strangers became loved ones.

Sasuke was right. Losing bonds hurt, and he had no intention of losing anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

"How could you possibly understand how I feel? You never had any family... You were alone from the start. Im suffering because I had those ties, how could you possibly understand... WHAT ITS LIKE TO LOSE ALL THAT!? A raven haired boy finished with a snarl. Opposite him was a blonde boy with an oddly feral appearance, despite which, the obvious hurt from the comment bled onto his face.

Naruto's thoughts turned introspective at that moment. Sasuke was right, Naruto was an orphan, he had grown up without the love and care of a mother or father, sisters or brothers. He was alone.

But if he'd had a father he'd like to think it would be like his relationship with Iruka-sensei, Someone to scold him when he'd done wrong, to comfort him when he was sad and alone. Someone who cared unconditionally. And if he'd had a brother he'd want it to be like it was with Sasuke, someone to push him further and motivate him, someone he respected and cared for even if he never said it out loud.

At this thought Naruto's, pleasant smile imagining a family he'd never had turned in to a grimace. He had never told Sasuke that. He had never been able to express those feelings of respect for Sasuke's strength both physical, and mental. Or his care for Sasuke's well being, the driving force behind their battle now.

Though talking things like this out would seem an obvious solution to most normal people, the two were children. Emotionally stunted, damaged children who had both experienced enough unpleasant things to make this course of action nigh unthinkable... But Naruto was nothing if not unpredictable, and so he drew a breath, and with it, he changed his fate.

"Hey Sasuke..."

/

Kakashi was not having an altogether great day. His prized student was attempting to defect from his village, and head to what was almost certain death. To top that off, one of his other students, his own sensei's son, was hell bent on bringing him back, even if he had to cripple him to do it. And if Kakashi were to use the positively venomous chakra saturating the air as an indication, then that may be what Naruto was trying to do... Still Kakashi thought, it seemed that the pace of their battle had reached a standstill of sorts. He could no longer sense the opposing chakras clash, and though they had not dissipated, it seemed as though the two boys were feeling each other out rather than outright attacking..

He briefly mused that if anyone could defuse the ticking time bomb that was Sasuke's lust for power and revenge, it was Naruto. "Maybe Naruto is reaching him.. " His thoughts unfortunately cut short as he felt the battle start anew. Kakashi understood Sasuke well. He was a lot like Sasuke in his youth, cold, distant, and so utterly and smugly sure of his own power, that to think of it today threatened to sicken him. He would still be the same way in all likelihood were it not for Obito, the man who gripped him tight, and pulled him from the darkness. At the thought of his friend, Kakashi's left eye *Obito's left eye* tingled.

Kakashi thought bitterly about how much better Obito would have handled the situation with Sasuke. He had taken special care to take the last Uchiha under his wing, to teach him that team 7's power was his power. He had even taught him his prized Chidori technique, to show Sasuke that Orochimaru was not the only way to grow stronger. He had tried to instill in him that the Chidori was a blade to protect his bonds, not one to sever them.

As Kakashi and pakkun drew closer to the valley, he became increasingly concerned that Sasuke would use the Chidori for just that. His thoughts then turned to Naruto. The boy had a strange presence that made Kakashi want to believe in him despite himself. He hoped Naruto could save Sasuke from the darkness. He hoped that the price for doing so would be not as steep as the one his own friend had payed to do the same for him.

No, Kakashi thought to himself, he wouldn't leave this responsibility to Naruto alone. He would get there in time. He would save his students! He would end this cycle!

/

To say that talking Sasuke down had not went well would be an understatement. Naruto had attempted to talk Sasuke down, to tell him he was doing this because he was worried for him. His response was a quick "Its already too late for that now!" Followed up with more frantic attacking from Sasuke. He had tried to reiterate that team 7's power was Sasuke's power, that Itachi was an enemy of Konoha, that Naruto would do everything in his power to help Sasuke stop him, and although Sasuke looked shaken, he did not ease up in his assault.

One thing had changed though.

Naruto resolute in the fact that he could stop Sasuke without fighting him, had stopped going on the offensive. Instead in between Naruto's mini speeches and pep talks, he focused only on evasion and defense. Along with infuriating the Uchiha, who was desperate to prove his own superiority, it stirred more emotions in him than Sasuke would like to admit to himself. Guilt. Powerlessness. Disgust. Itachi had told him to live clinging to life in an unseemly way, living only for revenge. Something he had done.

Perhaps had Naruto continued attacking, Sasuke would have noticed that his Sharingan had matured, the final tomoe bleeding into existence. Perhaps Sasuke may have noticed his increased perception on a more mobile target, and fueled by adrenaline, mistakenly attributed that to the power of the curse seal. Perhaps that conclusion would have further colored Sasuke's decisions. Perhaps it would have driven him closer to Orochimaru.

Naruto didn't however, and continued desperately to get through to Sasuke. The sight of the him fighting back tears as he pressed on with his talking was really quite pitiable.

It was then that Sasuke thoughts turned more introspective. Although Sasuke lived his life driven by the hatred of the brother he once loved, when he had finally met him again, his hatred was not strong enough.

* He* was not strong enough.

What had followed their meeting was not a fight, it was complete domination. Itachi was an elite genius, even amongst the Uchiha. So elite in fact that Itachi had murdered them all, leaving only Sasuke alive. A single man murdered an entire clan in less than a few hours. His own blood. His own Mother and Father, Sasuke's parents.

At the thought of that night and the image of the lifeless forms that still haunted his nightmares, He had to fight back the bile threatening to leave his throat. And tears threatening to leave his eyes.

Itachi had said he killed them to test his ability, the same reason he left Sasuke alive. Remembering the thought almost made him laugh at the sick absurdity of it all. His father's first born son murdering their entire clan.

His thoughts turned to his father and mother, Fugaku and Mikoto. Itachi always was Fugaku's pride and joy, and why wouldn't he be? There was a time when Itachi was everything Sasuke strived to be. In a way he still was.

His thoughts then turned to Mikoto, as he recalled the time she told him that while his father was proud of Itachi, when the two were alone all he would speak of was Sasuke.

He thought of Fugaku, who had told him after he had mastered the fireball jutsu that he should walk his own path, not blindly follow Itachi.

He thought of Itachi's words about obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan, and how he would have to kill his best friend to obtain eyes like his brother's.

*Power like Itachi's... the same way Itachi had attained it*

Sasuke felt a pang of guilt as he gazed at Naruto through tear blurred eyes, and he fought them back. He hadn't noticed, but he had long since stopped his onslaught, and dropped to his knees, cradling his face.

He wanted to know how the kind, gentle older brother he loved so dearly could do this to him. The pleasant memories of all the times Itachi and he shared threatened to drive him mad. Was his devoted older brother persona just an act all along, as he had told Sasuke? Why did that make him feel even worse?

The confusion and uncertainty knotted the boy's stomach like nausea.

He wanted to see his mom again, to hear her voice, to eat her cooking, to tell her about his day. He desperately wanted to know the nice things his father had told his mother about him, but now he never would.

He could fight back his tears no longer, and with the slump of his back they came.

He could feel Naruto's hand on his back in a clumsy attempt to comfort him, though at that moment he was too overwhelmed to react.

He wanted to go home, but Sasuke had no home. He was alone. Just like Naruto. His thoughts then turned to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

Sakura had cared for him, although she was loud, clingy, and maybe even annoying at times she cared. She cared so much she was willing to leave at his side, and live as a criminal.

Kakashi had recognized the hatred in Sasuke, and tried his damnedest to drill into his head that a team is stronger than an individual, that his lone wolf tendencies were only detrimental. He had also, judging by his words experienced tragedy like Sasuke had, but Kakashi didn't let it consume him.

He then thought of Naruto, the boy who was so dead set on saving him from himself that he was here, taking a beating, risking his life and pleading for him to come to his senses. Naruto was a good friend. The closest Sasuke had ever had, and at that realization Sasuke grit his teeth.

He would honor his father's wish. He would find a different path, and with that thought, the grief finally overtook him as the sharingan faded,

And the curse mark receded.

As Kakashi made his way to the valley, he was greeted by a strange sight. Two children, his children.

One curled in a ball, sobbing. The other clumsily embracing him with one arm, fighting back tears himself.

Kakashi felt his eyes moisten, despite himself. Naruto had done it. He had saved Sasuke.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura Haruno was having a good day.

The five man team dispatched to retrieve Sasuke had come back in one piece, and perhaps more important to her- maybe more than she'd like to admit, Sasuke was back.

Though the events of the mission were classified, she could gather from the hospitalizations of her fellow genin that either Sasuke or Orochimaru's forces had put up quite the fight. Sakura was betting, however that it was the latter, rather than the former. After all she couldn't imagine Sasuke seriously injuring a fellow leaf shinobi, vendatta against Itachi or no, let alone five of the most talented genin in the village.

Sakura was a bit miffed by the fact that Sasuke had been taken to the locked down portion of Konoha's hospital, usually reserved for prisoners with conditions too severe to treat at the detention center, making it impossible to for her to see him.

So, Sakura supposed she'd go see her other teammate, and thank him for helping in Sasuke's return. Sakura practically hopped down the 3rd ward to Naruto's room, cheerily humming a tune, sure that Naruto wouldn't be in the hospital too long, his injuries were probably minor, and the boy healed quickly anyhow.

Upon opening the heavy door to his room however, she was greeted by an unpleasant sight. A young man, whom she could only guess was Naruto, due to the tuft of blonde hair on the un-bandaged portion of his head, resting while taking short, strained breaths.

Sakura gave the boy a once over seeing that he had really been put through the ringer, bandages everywhere, face bruised and swollen. Her breath hitched however as she saw his chest, bloodied bandages covering what she guessed was a deep puncture wound over his right lung.

"Chidori..." Sakura breathed."Naruto? Are you...are you okay?" At hearing his name the boys eyes shot open."hey Sakura-chan." the boy said through a strained smile. "What happened... Did Orochimaru do this... O-or... This wasn't Sasu-"

Sakura awoke with a start.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and as she did she took a quick glance to confirm what she already knew, Sasuke wasn't next to her. If he wasn't out training before dawn, or on a mission, he was in their daughter's room. Since his attempted defection, Sasuke was a changed man, fiercely devoted to and protective of his small family...

The passage of time brought maturity, and Sasuke and Sakura had matured greatly. Under the guidance of Tsunade, Sakura had grown to become a very skilled medical nin. Sakura had always had impeccable chakra control, and her taijutsu under the Sanin had grown to a level nothing short of terrifying. Sakura's skills had not been the only thing to bloom however. She had grown as a person, gone was the little girl who was quick to anger and filled with insecurity. She had been replaced by a strong, confident young woman, who was only *somewhat* quick to anger. It was the type of change brought on by experiencing life, both highs and lows.

Sasuke was no different. As much as he had grown into a sweet, if sometimes painfully awkward husband and father, when it came to work, Sasuke was the same genius he always was. *The Hero of the Leaf, Sasuke of the Black Fire*, they called him. A talent Konoha desperately needed. It was that, that kept him from being punished severely for treason.

That is not to say however, that he got away scott free.

After Sasuke's attempted defection, many of the clan heads, having had their own members, thier own heirs, seriously wounded in many cases to retrieve him, were not exactly heading up the last Uchiha's fan club. One such clan head, Hizashi Hyuuga, was adamant that the Hyuuga's caged bird seal be placed on him, to deter future incidents, and also strongly suggested indefinite incarceration.

Maybe it Hizashi had always disliked the the Uchiha, being that the families had something of a rivalry of sorts, being that they were both old, respected powerful clans specializing in dojutsu.

Maybe he was pissed that Sasuke's actions nearly killed his only nephew, who's father gave up his life for Hizashi's own.

Either way, at the time he held nothing but distain for Sasuke, and his charge for harsh punishment made it very easy for Danzo to make his move.

When Tsunade had attempted to argue with the council that such treatment of the last Uchiha, would be going somewhat overboard, due to his age and circumstances, however, she was very suprised to find that Danzo Shimura agreed with her.

He did not agree to her plan for total clemency however, and with

the Uchiha massacre fresh in the minds her council, Danzo's charisma, honeyed words of proper guidance, and his implication of how Sasuke could well indeed be on track to become another mass murdering traitor, like Itachi, her pleas were not well received.

So, after some deliberation Sasuke was to be placed into the loving care of Danzo, who so graciously offered his services to train Sasuke, and to head a mission with him, when he was ready to capture Itachi, dead or alive.

In addition to Sasuke's direct superior being Danzo, he was not to leave the village without escort until given express notice otherwise, and by five years time Sasuke would find a wife, or enter an arranged marriage to produce an heir to continue his bloodline, before the Itachi retrieval mission.

The sharingan was, after all very valuable to the leaf. A fact Danzo knew better than anyone, in fact, and it would be such a shame if both brothers would happen to die fighting each other.

Sasuke hated it. He hated that he was trapped in the small, stifling village, forced to undergo training so strenuous, he was sure it was only ment to break him mentally, but when he thought about it he had nowhere else to go, unless he was keen on becoming Orochimaru's new body. He had decided against that course of action after fighting Naruto, thick as he was he had a point, desperation attracts vultures, so they say.

He hated Danzo, who repeatedly expressed unhidden distain toward his clan, and told him that his comfortable, safe life was not his own but a gift given from the protection of the village, a gift the village could take back. Danzo wasn't shy about letting Sasuke know that he viewed him as a spoiled, ungrateful child. Many young children lost their parents and experienced far worse than he had, such were the horrors of war.

He hated Danzo.

Sasuke, however knew that the man's assessment of him wasn't entirely wrong.

He was self centered, and he was only thinking of himself all this time. Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, there was a time he would sacrifice them all for his own self gratification.

The thought of that and Sakura trying to stop him that night made him nauseous and ashamed.

And then there was Naruto.

He couldn't wait for Naruto to come back from his own training mission, so he could give him a piece of his mind about all of it. Sasuke smiled a rare smile. He resolved to properly apologize to Naruto when he came back, and to treat to ramen to thank him. After all Sasuke and Naruto had no family, but in a way Naruto was more of a brother to Sasuke than Itachi. He was a friend. Before Sasuke's grief and desire for revenge consumed him, he wanted to stop Itatchi to stop anyone from ever being hurt by him again. Perhaps if that was the way he would be used, then he could live with it. Sasuke... Was really looking forward to his friend coming home.

Naruto of course never did.

/

Sasuke finished reading a passage of Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, to his daughter. The book was a gift from Kakashi, and it quickly became his favorite. The similarities between the book's main character, and his lost friend were...eerie. They even shared a name, he briefly wondered if someone had named Naruto after him, in hopes that he'd grow up to be like the hero, similar to the logic by which Sasuke had named his daughter Naru. He silently hoped he was as right as Naruto's parents were.

Sasuke genly tapped Naru's large fore-head, a trait he teased Sakura about often, and returned her carefully to her crib. He then started out her room and made his way down the stairs, it was 4:45 in the morning. He still had time before his guest lecture at the academy at 7:30. He decided to head to training ground 7.

/

He could still remember the cold autumn day Tsunade debriefed him about Naruto's death. He had been called to speak with Tsunade early that day, that compounded with the torturous routine Danzo had been putting Him through for the last few months had made Sasuke more than a bit testy that morning.

When he arrived Tsunade looked terrible, the result of another late night bender he assumed, and seemed to be considering how to proceed. Opposite her was Sakura, and she didn't look any better. After a few odd minutes of waiting Sasuke's irritation got the better of him. "Will all due respect Tsunade, I don't have long before I am to report to Danzo. I would like to resolve this, and be there on time. So, may I ask why Ive been called here?" He felt Sakura's arm gently touch his arm, a look torn between concern, and... Sadness. Sakura was fighting back tears.

Oh great. More ridiculous demands from the council it wasn't an odd occurrence for meetings like this in which the council, had voiced more conditions to Sasuke's arrangement, but Tsunade was thus far able to shoot them all down given enough time. So he wondered, what was so bad it had Sakura cryi-

"Sasuke. Late yesterday we received word from Jiraiya. It Seems he and and Naruto had... Encountered Two Akatsuki members, near the border of fire county, on their two year mission."

"It was him wasnt it?" Sasuke shot quickly. Tsunade looked like she was having difficulty choosing her words. "Is this why you called me here, to talk about Itachi? I already know the position Im currently in, so don't worry. You just want to make sure I don't chase after him right?" Tsunade didnt answer verbally, her answer came in the form of a side to side head nod, and down cast eyes. Sakura began to sob. "Hey Sakura, whats wrong, why are you crying? I already said, Im not going to chase after him yet. Everything's fine." "Sasuke... That, that isn't it. Naruto is... He's dead Sasuke." Sakura mumbled out, now clinging to Sasuke's shirt.

"What...?" Sasuke gaped. He understood it now, the early meeting, the way Tsunde was acting... "Haha I get it." Sasuke laugh was hollow. He put her up to to this Sakura." "What are you-" "Its just another one of his stupid pranks right,Tsunade?" Sasuke cut Tsunade off mid stream. Sakura enveloped him in a tight hug, and began to speak softly. "No. Sasuke, that's not it, he-" "So he got you to go along with it too huh?"he gently pushed her forward to look at her tearstained face. "Cmon, Naruto was was near the village, so he comes back early for a visit, and gets you guys to set up this dumb prank, cmon Sakura, I mean, I know I deserve it, but its not funny anymore." Sakura looked at him, her face awash with pity.

"Cmon stop crying, this isn't funny where is he?"

"Sakura?"

"Cmon"

"Tell me... I need you to tell me you're joking."

/

Looking back now, he wasn't sure if the sting in his eyes that day were tears, or the mangekyo activating.

Upon losing something important to them, a sharingan user's eyes can evolve, into the incredibly powerful mangekyo sharingan.

That power comes at a steep price, however.

Due to the deterioration of the mangekyo sharingan, Sasuke had grown accustomed to the encroaching blur that threatened to steal all light from his world, so much so that the startling clarity he experienced as he looked upon training ground 7 was almost painful.

He checked the time. 5:00, he still had two hours left to train. Good. He wanted to get used to his new eyes as quickly as possible. He wasn't going to lose anymore family.


	4. Chapter 4

The Mizukage cracked a cheeky smile despite herself. Ao sighed and gave a small "eh what can ya do?" Type of shrug. Izumi's eye began to twitch as he sweat dropped, looking at the crumpled form of the two would be bandits.

No matter how many times he saw her in action he was surprised at how efficient she was. Then again maybe it wasn't the efficiency in her movements that struck him. Kana was ruthless, and the look on the two mens face's as they were man-handled by a lone child was truly priceless.

In the time it took one of the thugs to raise the crude hatchet in his hand, Kana had shifted her body to a lower stance, waiting for the swing, and with it the chance to counter. She nailed both. Tilting her upper body to the left to avoid the blow, she quickly caught the man's right arm as it swept past her, wrapping her own arm around his, she quickly moved her body, leveraging her weight against the captured limb-dislocating it at the shoulder. Before he even had time to scream, she sharply tugged at his arm to build momentum to deliver a powerful kick to his face sending, the now unconscious man flying a short distance and liberating a few of his teeth.

Before his partner had time to process what was happening, she delivered a sweep to his legs knocking him off balance, and followed up with an axe kick to his un-guarded nose mid trip, roughly slamming him into the ground, leaving him in a similar state to his friend.

The lithe dark haired girl inhaled a breath sharply, and released it slowly.

She cursed inwardly; she had been trying to reign in her temper, it was unbefitting of a trained shinobi to be so easily riled, and more importantly to her, it seemed to disturb Izumi.

The blonde gave Kana a once over. The smile she wore like a mask, gone, as was the squint that earned her the name "Fox Face". In it's place was a scowl.

Izumi took in her appearance. She was more cute than pretty, if that made any sense, he mused. Her fair skin. Her raven hair, styled in a bob cut that almost, but not quite reached her neck. Her dark eyes obscured with her nearly ever present squint, making them appear closed. Her small lithe frame, with a chest as steep as a cliffside. Not that he would dare say as much to her.

Despite the mizukage's gentle, sisterly reassurance that she was a late bloomer, Her figure and somewhat youthful, almost boyish looks were a frequent source of ire for her. It was perhaps the comment directed to her, insinuating she was a scrawny boy, and not the attempted mugging that had infuriated her so.

Upon coming to, tied to a nearby oak, perhaps not fully understanding the situation they'd landed themselves in the men began to heckle Kana, and make threats regarding their release.

"You should really quit while you're ahead" Izumi warned the men while scratching his neck sheepishly.

Though she was getting better, at controlling angry outbursts like this, and she had held back considerably in her assault, She still had a limit. Izumi knew that. Years ago before seeing her strength, a display like this- someone picking on the small girl, would have enraged him, activating some brotherly instinct, imploring him to protect her. Of course that still stood, anyone who hurt her was on the fast track to catching his kunai in their kidneys. In this instance, however, It wasnt her who needed protection. It rarely was really, Kana was a prodigy. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she could freeze chumps like this solid. He really hoped the men would take the hint, drop it, and shut up. Before things got worse.

These men, however attacked a group of trained killers with a rusty hatchet, they weren't exactly smart, and their suicidal over confidence was clouding their instinct of self preservation.

Maybe it was from the recent head trauma.

Maybe they were just idiots.

Kana was betting on the latter.

"You know" she began, "even discounting the fact that you just attempted an attack on someone who is unarguably the most powerful and influential shinobi in all of Kirigakure, for literal highway robbery- along with three shinobi hand picked by her to be her escorts, a testament to our skill you're really, really, really stupid." She sighed running her fingers through her hair, as the understanding washed over the mens faces. " who attacks a group clearly wearing hidden village hitae-ate at a two to one disadvantage, armed only with a rusty farm tool? Are you deficient or something?"

The thug who formerly held the hatchet took offense to this apparently, and gave a rebuttal in the form of spitting on the girls face.

Izumi swore he saw her eyes roll back in her head.

He sighed as he moved to restrain her from murdering the suicidally over confident men. "Its gonna be a real long trip if we have to babysit these guys the rest of the way" He griped internally.

It was a rare occurrence for Mei and Izumi to share nearly the same thought, even if it was for different reasons. Izumi thought that dragging the boisterous men the last stretch of the way to konoha in shackles would be a pain, even if they bound their mouths to silence them, they would still slow the groups pace.

Mei 's mind however, acclimated to the politcs of the shinobi world, raced. Showing up late would create the impression that she was unreliable, she couldn't risk that during negotiations.

Leaving the men bound here while they continued what was at least a half a days trip to Konoha would be sloppy. She could be painted as too lazy or apathetic to properly secure a threat near a country she was trying to form an alliance with- no, no, that wouldn't do.

Killing them outright, or even making it seem like an accident in the heat of a battle for self defense, while tempting would make her shinobi seem to lack control at best, or at worst possibly sour relations with Konoha- god forbid these two were the black sheep of a family with any type of influence.

So as she saw it, Mei's best option was to split up her team. Of course doing so in the conventional sense put all members in greater danger. Something that was foreign to every instinct she had. she had won the war, but she was not without enemies, enemies which could be anywhere. She was also on foreign soil. miles away from home-the cavalry so to speak, if anything went awry.

She briefly thought of home. Her forces, thinned by the long, and bloody civil war, the reason her current team was so small. Paranoid and jaded as she was, Mei loved her home. She would rebuild her home. She would protect it, and as far as she was concerned any citizen under her protection was the same as her own family. She refused weaken it further in her absence by taking anymore man power than absolutely necessary.

These sentiments extended to her current team as well.

She viewed Ao as a close friend and confidant, in all the time shed known him he had never let her down or betrayed her trust. He was an excellent shinobi, and while he had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth around her, she owed him her life many times over.

She and Kana had grown rather close during their time together, as well. Mei was an only child as was Kana, and the two developed an almost sisterly bond. Some of Mei's fondest memories were of the conversations and times the two shared, providing a sense of normalcy in Mei's life, out of place amongst all the fighting and bloodshed. Kana's trust in her was something she cherished.

Then there was Izumi, no... Naruto. When she had first met the boy she didn't think much of him. At all. But the boys attitude was infectious, he never gave in or lost hope. He was unyieldingly, unconditionally, frustratingly kind. He had this odd presence, and she couldn't help but want to bet on him. He helped foreign shinobi, people whom by all rights were his enemies, just because it was the right thing to do. He grew on her quick, and before she knew it, this temperament of his that initially drove her crazy became something to be protected. Perhaps because it reminded her, almost painfully so of the black and white innocence and absolutes she had long since lost.

That everyone loses.

Of course she had obligations to her village, and once she had discovered he was the Jinchuriki of the kyuubi, his fate was decided. She had to make him an asset of Kiri.

When she had told the boy that he was essentially her prisoner, she expected him to hate her, to lash out. To cry. As she explained his situation to him a sad look came over his face, and the with the look in his eyes, a little bit of her died that day. Seeing him, someone who never gave in, resigned to his fate like that killed her.

And then he said something that had haunted her ever since.

His understanding of her plight, his kind words of gentle praise, and the smile that overtook his face in that moment as he tried to comfort her was something so beautiful it had been eternally, and painfully seared into her memory.

He hadn't given up at all. Her actions merely tempered his resolve to help her. She was the one stifling back tears.

It would've been easier had he just hated her she mused. But she'd make it up to him. Somehow...

Smiling she spoke, "Izumi, can you make a few kage bunshin to keep these men company for a while?"

"Eh?" The boy tilted his head. "But, I'm not 'sposed to use any jutsu that could... Identify me, especially this close to Konoha."

"We cant afford to leave them alone, or lose time here, and if something happens to them, you'll know... Besides, the kage bushin isn't as much of a give away as certain other justu are. Just keep it to three clones and we'll be fine."

She smiled brightly," Besides, if things go well you wont have to hide like this for very much longer."

His lips curled into a grin as he formed a hand seal, it had been ages since he was allowed to use either of his signature jutsu.

She didn't need to split her team up in the conventional sense, she thought. They'd go on together.

/

Sasuke looked at the now defaced, Hokage monument and sighed internally. Careful not to disturb the culprit, still hard at work.

Konohamaru had taken Naruto's passing hard, just like his grandfather's.

He noted that the visage of the third had no graffiti on it.

"If you used a darker red on the Shodaime's lips, it would really pop. Be more visible, you know?"

Konohamaru flinched. Had he not been anchored with a rope, he would have fallen. He turned his head to see the formerly last Uchiha standing on the side of the Yondaime's face, using the wall walking jutsu.

Sasuke smiled a gentle, sad smile and scooped the small boy under his arm, before jumping to level ground and releasing him.

"You have to stop doing this, you know?" Sasuke sighed.

"At any rate, whats bothering you?

A long silence followed.

Konohamaru finally broke it. "Everyone around the village is saying Kakashi is going to be the next Hokage."

"And..?"

"He can't be! Because Naruto is going to be the next Hokage!"

The older boy sighed again, this was going to be a long day.

"Konohamaru..." Sasuke said as gently as he could "Naruto is gone, you know that."

The only response he got was the indignant look on Konohamaru's face as he fought back tears.

"Didn't your Grampa ever tell you about the will of fire?"

"Of course he did!" Konohamaru spat bitterly"Everyone knows about it."

A small smile formed on Sasuke's face."Well then, good. You know that even though the people we've lost are gone, their will- their hopes live on with us"

The younger boy tilted his head slightly.

"What do you think went through Hiruzen's head as he prepared to sacrifice himself to weaken Orochimaru?"

Again, silence. This time it was Sasuke who broke it.

"He understood his situation, Konohamaru... He knew he couldn't kill him outright, so he gave his life to weaken him enough to force him to retreat. buying us time so that one day, someone else could. Thats how much the Sandaime loved this village"

"I believe that it was the same with Naruto."

Konohamaru, was still listening intently, but seemed a little confused.

"During our fight... "Sasuke elaborated, "Itachi didn't have full use of his left arm. Judging from the scar I think... No. I know it was from the rasengan...I didn't beat him alone, Konohamaru."

Both statements were technically true.

Sasuke closed his eyes and spoke again,"Self sacrifice is the essence of what it means to be a hero, Konohamaru. To put your own well being and wants asude to help others. Both the Sandaime and Naruto understood that."

He looked at Konohamaru's awed expression and decided know was the time to scold him. "You Know Konohamaru, unlike Naruto yoy have a family, a Mother and a Father who care for you. You don't need to do things like deface the hokage monument for attention."

The younger boy looked at Sasuke, with tears threatening to fall.

"At any rate, since heroes like them sacrificed themselves to help us, we have to be strong... What Im saying is that it's up to you to become a cool Shinobi, the type that Naruto and Hiruzen would be proud of." Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled. "And one day, after you do that, fulfill Naruto's dream by becoming Hokage... After me of course."

Sasuke gave the boy a cheeky grin, as he puffed his cheeks.

"What?! No way, I'll deffinitley become hokage before you do!"

"Unacceptable, Im afraid. I want to retire early and grow old spending time with my family. If I have to wait on a brat like you to become Hokage, I'll be 200 before I get to retire."

Konohamaru seemed to be puffing his cheeks almost as much as Sasuke was sighing today.

Sasuke smiled "Cmon runt, I'll help you clean this up, and we'll go to Ichiraku, my treat. We need to be quick though, we have important visitors coming today... Tsunade will kill us both if they see this."

Sasuke chuckled, and the two went to work cleaning with smiles on their faces.

"Thanks... Sasuke-sensei."

/

The Mizukage's team arrived at the entrance gate to Konoha. Beneath the hunter nin mask he now wore, Izumi smiled. He could barely contain the excitement as they began the process of checking in, he couldn't wait to see everyone.

It felt good to be back.


End file.
